


ebony dark'ness raven dementia way

by Lidupo



Category: RWBY
Genre: Few other characters mentioned, Gen, Yang Xiao Long Needs a Hug, bumbleby if you squint, only tagged them if they speak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:49:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22779739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lidupo/pseuds/Lidupo
Summary: Yang had been able to do it for as long as she could remember. Some of her earliest memories were of doing loops in the air as Ruby screamed in ecstasy, mimicking Yang's movements with her chubby little arms. There was a time when Yang spent more time in the tops of trees than with her feet on the ground.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna & Yang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen & Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 12
Kudos: 58





	ebony dark'ness raven dementia way

**Author's Note:**

> mostly tried to get the idea down before it escaped me so there's a bit of dialogue at the end but it's choppy and cuts off at an awkward place! but! i hope you enjoy nonetheless!

Yang had been able to do it for as long as she could remember. Some of her earliest memories were of doing loops in the air as Ruby screamed in ecstasy, mimicking Yang's movements with her chubby little arms. There was a time when Yang spent more time in the tops of trees than with her feet on the ground.

Then Summer died, and in a way, Taiyang died, too.

Ruby became her first priority. She no longer had time to play, no matter how much her friends called out to her. Eventually, they forgot about her. After a while, Ruby did too- at least, she forgot about that part of Yang.

There was nobody else to remember, after that. It had always been her and Ruby's little secret. Ruby had never been one for secrets, of course, and chattered on and on about defeating the raven queen and saving the princess in the castle, but even Qrow chalked it up to imaginary games between sisters. Something he would admit to kicking himself over later when he found out.

When it came time for Yang to journey from home for battle school, she nearly didn't. There were still two years before Ruby would be allowed to enroll, Yang couldn't just  _ leave  _ her. 

It was Ruby herself that convinced Yang otherwise. Both Qrow and Taiyang had a hand to play in her leaving- but if Ruby had wanted her to stay, Yang knew she would have in a heartbeat. Ruby hadn't, though, and Taiyang was finally there enough that Yang could begin to trust him. So she left.

In her first year of battle school, Yang unlocked her semblance. Her peers and teachers congratulated her, but Yang couldn't truly appreciate the attention when her mind was swirling. She already had a semblance, she couldn't have two. That wasn't possible.

Taking in damage and releasing it twice as hard was a textbook semblance. She had unlocked it under a certain pressure, and it had the tug on her aura that everybody described. Her first ability was none of those things. It just  _ was.  _ It had scared Yang.

She decided it was probably best if she didn't use her other semblance, the more it became clear it probably wasn't one. As much as she missed it, something like that wasn't right. Yang had no idea what the consequences of doing it were. After a while, she was almost able to convince herself that the entire ordeal had been the result of an overactive childhood imagination.

Until Yang met Raven, she was content like that. She barely heard her ramble on about Ozpin and the tribe and what a mistake Yang was making because it finally made  _ sense.  _ Ozpin had turned Yang's mother into a bird- he just hadn't realized the future repercussions. The ones that directly impacted Yang.

Still, Yang kept her lips locked. Not about Qrow and Raven's ability, she interrogated Ozpin-Oscar as soon as they were in the same room. Just about her own. 

That night, she spread her wings for the first time in a long time.

At first, she had definitely been going to tell everybody. She didn't want to tell the story twice, though, and she was still holding onto hope that Blake would come back. When Blake did come back, she didn't want to ruin her and Sun's final moments before they seperate, and then there was the train crash, and then there was Jinn-

It may have slipped Yang's mind at some point.

Still, she would forever be furious that her secret came out because of  _ Adam.  _ She didn't regret swooping down with all the sharp poise of a hawk after hitting him with Bumblebee, but- it was still infuriating that every time something happened to Yang it was because of him. There wasn't any going back after Blake saw her turn from feathers to flesh right in front of her.

After Adam died ( _ good riddance _ , Yang thought with trembling hands), there had been a lot of tears. Yang wasn't sure why she didn't feel more triumphant. Adam was dead- hadn't that been what she wanted? Regardless, Blake didn't bring up the fight again until they were well on their way to Atlas.

"So when were you going to tell me you could turn into a bird?"

Yang choked on her spit.

When she was sure she wasn’t about to keel over and die, she looked up- and instantly wished she hadn’t. Qrow was staring at her with an expression equal parts shock and horror. “What?”

“Oh- uh. Hm,” Yang’s eyes flicked to the airplane’s exit. Could she jump out and fly the rest of the way to Atlas?

Ruby positioning herself in front of her hasty escape route gave Yang her answer. 

“I, well, I was  _ going  _ to tell you,” Yang fumbles.

“Going to tell us? What is Blake talking about?" Ruby stared at Yang with wide, trusting eyes.

" _ What is she talking about?"  _ Qrow snapped, and Yang probably would have flinched if the comment had been directed in her direction, but he was looking at Oscar.

Oscar threw his hands in front of him. "I don't know!"

"Woah, guys, chill!" -that was Jaune.

"Wait, what? Who can turn into a bird? I thought that was Qrow's thing!" -Nora.

" _ Qrow can turn into a bird?!" - _ Blake.

"Did we not tell you?" -Ren.

Then, everybody was talking over each other and Yang couldn't pick out one person from another. Yang didn't think she had ever felt smaller.

"WOULD YOU ALL  _ SHUT UP _ ?!"

The room went silent as eyes fell on Weiss.

"God! You're all talking about Yang like she isn't even here! At least give her a chance to explain," Weiss growled.

And, suddenly, attention was back on Yang. As grateful as Yang was for Weiss, she would have preferred everybody screaming at each other than looking expectantly at Yang.

"Uh. I can turn into a bird."

"Well, we got  _ tha- _ "

Lie Ren knocked Nora on the back of her head before she could finish.

"I've always been able to do it. I used to do tricks and stuff for Ruby."

"I don't remember that!"

"You were pretty little. I stopped after Mom- Summer died. And then I got my semblance, so. I mean, I was going to tell you guys after we found out what Ozpin did to Raven and Qrow but there really just wasn't a good time?"

Qrow inhaled sharply. "God."

"Y'know," Maria called from the driver's seat, "I hate to interrupt your little bonding moment, but we're here."

Atlas.

As they walked off the ship onto Mantle, Qrow leaned in and whispered into Yang’s ear as he passed her. “We’re talking about this later.”

Yang sighed, but had to admit- she probably should've told Qrow about this if she was going to tell anybody.

**Author's Note:**

> yang is a bilf (bird id like to actually im not finishing that)


End file.
